Wednesday, November 30, 2011

After having had children, any time someone asks me what I would like for my birthday or a holiday, I always joke that the best gift would be sleep.

It's what all parents truly want, isn't it?

As much as I love the way that Little Sister B wakes up full of energy and enthusiasm every morning, I would really love it if that would occur after the sun is up. Even though we have had endless conversations about playing with the toys in her room or reading her books, she just can't contain her excitement enough to not share it with the rest of us.

Needless to say, when that elusive gift of sleep arrived at my door courtesy of SleepBuddy, I'm not sure I could have been more thrilled to see it.

Designed for children ages 18 months to 6 years, SleepBuddy is the complete sleep system designed to help teach your children when they should be staying in bed and when they can get up. Including a sleep light for naps and nighttime, a children's book, a rewards chart, and a parents' guide, this innovative product works to develop healthy sleep routines so the entire family can get the sleep that they need.

Hoping that SleepBuddy would be able to encourage Little Sister B learn to stay in her bed (or at least her room) until it was a reasonable time to come out and wake up the rest of the house, when I saw how the system arrived, I knew that she would immediately be excited about it.

Who doesn't want to unwrap such a colorful gift?

Waiting until the time was right that we were prepared to start using the system, I told Little Sister B that we had something extremely special for her and, as suspected, she couldn't wait to rip into it.

"It's an egg!" She cried, after getting the paper off and the box open.

Not exactly, I told her. It's a special light for your room.

The setup and preparation for using the SleepBuddy is minimal, which is always something that I like to see.

While my husband read Little Sister B the included book, A Bedtime Surprise (which does a great job of telling about a child receiving their own SleepBuddy, making it easy for the new user to understand what it is about)...

...I programmed the clock and set the times on the bottom of the light. Although I didn't find it "as easy as an alarm clock" like SleepBuddy claimed, it didn't take long before I had fiddled with the buttons to get the current time, nap start time, nap end time, bedtime start time, and morning wake time ready to go.

As Little Sister B climbed into bed, we checked with her one last time to make sure that she understood what the light meant. In short: when the blue light is on, it's time for sleep. When the blue light is off, it's okay to be up. Simple enough, right?

Leaving her room with the soft blue glow, that was the first night of SleepBuddy... and we've never looked back.

While I can't say that this system has completely transformed our lives and that Little Sister B doesn't make a peep when the light is on, it has definitely had quite a few benefits. In the morning she does a much better job of staying in her room playing with toys and there are far fewer instances at nighttime with her claiming that she's not tired or doesn't want to go to bed yet.

Instead, after calling out, "My blue light's on!" she seems much more willing to not dawdle while getting pajamas on or protest climbing into bed. And when she gets up after her nap and waits until the SleepBuddy has turned off to come downstairs? Well, the pride and sense of accomplishment on her face says it all.

As we've found success with the sleep system on its own, we haven't tried out the SleepBuddy Rewards Chart, but I can see how it would be a great incentive for kids. Simply add a sticker to the chart for each time that the program is followed and, when the week (or other predetermined time) is filled, they receive the reward that you've chosen.

Taking positive reinforcement and turning it into a way that kids can feel empowered and in control, the SleepBuddy Sleep System provides a regular, consistent way for the entire family to get their much-needed sleep without having to deal with power struggles or bedtime battles. Just about every child I know thrives on routine, so having a product like this ends up being a win-win situation for everyone involved!

Retailing for $34.95 directly from the SleepBuddy website (or from them on Amazon), if there are sleep issues in your house, this would be a great holiday gift idea. No more wishing for the gift of sleep when it is now available... even better, at a discount! Enter the coupon code momselect at checkout when ordering from their website and you'll receive $5 off of your SleepBuddy from now until December 31, 2011!

Thanks to their generosity, one person will be able to wake up feeling rested and refreshed soon, because...

One lucky person will win a SleepBuddy Complete SleepTraining System!

To enter to win: Tell me why the SleepBuddy would be beneficial in your life (or that of the recipient if you were to give it as a gift).

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).1 Extra Entry (per method) if you follow SleepBuddy on Twitter and/or Like them on Facebook.1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

The gift of sleep! I want to WIN a SleepBuddy Sleep Training System (ARV $35)! http://bit.ly/siY0Xg @thxmailcarrier #giveaway #win

1 Extra Entry (per follow method) if you follow me with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email, become a fan on Facebook or add Thanks, Mail Carrier to your blogroll.2 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to this post. Please leave an address where it can be found.Giveaway will end on December 21st at 11:59pm CST. By entering this sweepstakes, you are agreeing to these official rules. No purchase necessary, void where prohibited by law. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway is open to U.S.residentsonly and must be 18 years of age or older.

A big thank you to SleepBuddy for providing a SleepBuddy for me through MomSelect as well as a SleepBuddy for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.

my 2 and 3 year old share a room and i honestly feel that they never sleep. my husband works night shifts so i am the one that has to get up and put them back to bed o the sleep system would be a great gift for them and me!reljsw at gmail dot dom